


The Perfect Moment

by look_turtles



Category: due South
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 18:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15564252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/look_turtles/pseuds/look_turtles
Summary: While at the beach, Frannie waits for the perfect moment





	The Perfect Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the oldernotdead Prompt: Frannie/Turnbull. A summer day on the Lake Michigan beach.

Frannie stood in her room and looked into the full length mirror before her. She patted her flat stomach. She was wearing a yellow and blue polka dot bikini and it hugged her curves. She had to admit that even though she was in her forties, she was still knocking the bikini. Ante came up next to her and looked at the polka dot bows in her fur that matched Frannie’s bikini.

Frannie smiled as she looked down at her giant poodle. ‘Looking good, Ante.’

Ante barked and maybe Fraser had rubbed off on Frannie (not nearly in the way she would have liked) but she thought she knew what Ante was saying.

‘Yeah, I’m sure Rennie will like it to.’

Just thinking about her boyfriend made Frannie smile. She had finally gotten her Mountie.

She glanced over at the small box sitting on her dresser. She picked it up and turned it around in her hands. She had often thought about giving the contents of the box to Rennie, but she kept waiting for the perfect moment that never happened. Maybe she was being a romantic, but the perfect moment had to happen sooner or later.

She hope it was sooner. She put the box in her beach bag.

She collected her beach bag and floppy hat and walked to Maria’s room. Maria was laying in bed surrounded by used tissues and a hot water bottle was sitting on her chest. Frannie’s nose wrinkled as she caught a whiff of sickness. The room was dark and quite. A bowl of Ma’s chicken noodle soup sat untouched on the bedside table. 

‘How you feeling, sis?’

Maria coughed. ‘Still sick. Are you sure you want to take Lilly to the beach today? She’s quite the hand full.’

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. Rennie is coming with us and I’m sure the three of us can handle her.’

Ante barked in agreement.

‘I hope so. At least Tony is watching the other kids while they’re sick too.’

Frannie rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, he’s a real prince.’

If Tony couldn’t hold down a job than it really was the least he could do. Of course Frannie’s ex husband hadn’t even lasted through his first and last family dinner. It really was for the best. She always thought she would end up with a guy like Pop and she had hated it.

Maybe that was why she had fallen so hard for Fraser, he was the exact opposite of Pop. It didn’t hurt that he had movie star good looks.

She patted Maria on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

When she walked down to the living room, she saw Lilly laying on the floor drawing and surrounded by brightly coloured crayons. She was already wearing her bright pink bathing suit and her hair was in pigtails.

‘What you making?’ Frannie asked as she knelt down and looked at Lilly’s scribbles.

Lilly looked up at her with big green eyes. ‘It’s a picture of Ante. Do you like it?’

Frannie held the picture in her hands. It looked less like Anti and more like scribbles, but Lilly didn’t need to know that. Pop had always hated Frannie’s pictures when she was a kid ‘I love it! Let’s hang it on the frig while we wait for Rennie.’

Lilly ran to the kitchen with her drawing.

Frannie heard a knock on the door and grinned when she opened it and saw Rennie standing in front of her. He was bare chested and wearing colourful swimming trucks. His dark hair was streaked with gray.

She had to admit that she spent a lot of time running her fingers through his hair. Of course, that wasn’t nearly as fun as kissing his body; his skin was soft and smooth. There must have been something in the Canadian water that made the Mounties so good looking. 

He kissed Frannie and his lips were smooth and tasted like strawberry Chapstick. He pulled her close. She caught his scent; a combination of shampoo, soap and lilac.

After several moments because as much as she would like to they couldn’t spend all day kissing.

‘Hello, Frannie are you and Lilly ready to go to the beach?’

‘Yeah! Shake and arm, Lilly! It’s time to go!’ Frannie yelled.

Lilly came running out of the kitchen and ran up to Rennie. He picked her up easily and hugged her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Frannie just smiled as Rennie smiled and Lilly laughed. She had never met anyone who was so good with kids as Rennie. Maybe that was because he was childlike in many ways. She still remembered the Christmas party were he was Assassin Santa. Of course he was all man in the bedroom and that was what really counted.

Rennie sat Lilly down and Ante came up to him he knelt down and ran his finger through her curly white fur. 

‘Who’s my second favorite girl? Who is it?’ He cooed at Ante.

Ante’s tail wagged and her pink tongue lolled out of her mouth.

Frannie just smiled because she knew that she was his first favorite girl.

‘Do you like her new bows?’ Frannie asked.

Rennie stood up. ‘Oh, yes. They are as fetching as your bikini. Now, let’s get going to the beach.’

They walked out of the Vecchio household and made their way to Rennie’s car. It was small, bright orange Bug. Frannie called it the pumpkin car.

Rennie held the car door open for Frannie and she didn’t think she would even get used to Rennie being such a gentlemen; it must have been a Canadian thing.

Once they were all in car, Rennie drove the road. The sky was bright blue and clear and it was hot; perfect beach weather.

Rennie put in one of Lilly’s favorite cassettes and they spend the ride singing Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. 

Once they were at the beach Frannie grabbed her stuff out of the car and they all went down to the beach. Frannie laid out a Micky Mouse beach towel and Rennie set up a beach umbrella.

‘Will you put sunscreen on my back? It is always better to be cautious when skin cancer is involved.’

‘Sure lay down.’ 

She reached into her bag and took out a bottle of sunscreen. She rubbed the thick lotion onto Rennie’s back. His back was pale and covered with freckles. She had once tried to count all his freckles, but had had to stop when he kept giggling.

Once she was finished applying the sunscreen, Rennie sat up. 

‘Thank you.’ 

Frannie grinned. ‘Don’t mention it. You going to hit the lake?’

‘Actually I was hoping that Lilly would help me build a sandcastle,’ Rennie said to Lilly who was digging in the sand as Ante watched on.

Lilly grinned. ‘Yah! Can we build a huge castle, Uncle Ren?!’

‘As big as you want it. Why don’t you take your bucket down to the water and get bring back some water. You can’t have a sandcastle without wet sand.’

Lilly picked up her bucket.

‘Hold it. You need sunscreen,’ Frannie said to Lilly.

Lilly wrinkled her nose. ‘Really?! I’ll be quick.’

‘So will I.’

Once Lilly had had sunscreen put on, Frannie let her run down to the water.

Frannie laid down on the towel under the beach umbrella and pulled a romance novel out of her bag, she tried to not look at the little box sitting on the bottom of her bag, and began to read. 

As Rennie and Lilly built a sandcastle, Frannie read about a pirate that fell in love with a busty sea wench.

After a while, Lilly came up to Frannie. ‘Look! Look! Look at the sandcastle, Aunt Frannie!’

Frannie looked over at the sandcastle and it was impressive. It was about half as tall as Lilly and it even had a moat and drew bridge. Little pebbles lined the top like little jewels.

‘Very nice.’

‘I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we go into the water and wash the sand off,’ Rennie said to Lilly.

Rennie held Lilly’s hand as the walked down to the water. Frannie grinned as Ante snored at her feet.

‘Did you have to pick a weird Canadian?’ Pop asked from where he popped out of nowhere next to Frannie.

To Frannie’s credit she didn’t even bat an eyelid at her dead father showing up. It wouldn’t be the first time.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I’m just saying that he doesn’t look like the kind of guy who could protect you if something happened. He looks like the kind to cry like a little girl.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Like you would know anything about protecting your family. Most of the time Ray had to protect me from you.’

‘Hey, you should show me some respect,’ Pop said with anger in his voice.

‘That’s exactly what I’m talking about.’

Pop disappeared and Frannie just smiled. She was right and Pop knew it.

Rennie and Lilly came up to Frannie and Frannie couldn’t look away from Rennie. He was grinning and his blue eyes were shinning. The crow’s feet around his eyes were deep. Water droplets cling to his pale skin and sunlight made the gray in his hair shine like silver. 

This was it. This was moment Frannie had been waiting for. She took the small box out of her bag and opened it revealing a wedding ring. She got down on one knee. It might not be traditional, but Frannie was a 90’s girl.

‘Renfield Turnbull will you do my the honor of being my husband? Frannie asked as she presented the ring to Rennie.

Rennie started to cry but he still managed to nod. 

Frannie always thought she would end up with a guy like Pop, but she was so glad that Rennie was nothing like Pop.


End file.
